Shattered
by Koganeiro Kitsune
Summary: The gang is hauled off to defeat an ice demon who has more control over ice than even Touya, and everything's going fine, until Hiei meets up with some old foes, and Kurama gets a deadly wound... and then the ice demon attacks.
1. Yet Another Mission

Chapter one: Yet Another Mission

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH.

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"YES! CHIRSTMAS VACATION! No teachers, no school, no teachers, no missions, no teachers, no Koenma, no teachers, and, best of all, NO TEACHERS!" 14-year old Yusuke Urameshi threw back his head, his sleeked back hair glistening in the afternoon light. Two redheads walked behind him, one's hair considerably redder, longer, and well taken care of than the other. The carrot top grinned, and, catching Yusuke's head under his arm, gave him a noogie. 

"So what, Urameshi? Not like you ever go to school anyhow! And this winter break, I'm gonna pulverize you!"

"Yeah right!" Yusuke shouted, immediately knocking Kuwabara, the carrot top, to the ground. They continued their childish scuffle on the ground as the true redhead smiled, his long hair reaching down somewhere to the middle of his back. His emerald green eyes glinted in the remaining sunlight at the humor of the situation. Finally, Yusuke stood, one foot atop Kuwabara's head. Kurama's smile stretched to a grin.

"Maybe we should get going now, if you're done fighting. Remember, you two, we promised to meet Keiko and Yukina at the movies." Yusuke visibly paled, and grabbed Kurama's wrist, glaring at the watch.

"SHIT WE'RE LATE!" He screamed, making a mad sprint down the street. Kurama winced. He knew Keiko was patient, but half an hour was too much. He ran after Yusuke, leaving Kuwabara to help himself. The two, followed shortly by Kuwabara, huffed and leaned on an alleyway wall, trying to recuperate and not present themselves looking like bats out of hell. Yusuke was about to continue, when a sudden rustle startled him. He turned and stared into the alleyway, not sure whether he should investigate. Finally deciding against it, he turned and began to walk off.

Kurama was nowhere in sight. As was Kuwabara. Yusuke blinked, looking around him. Where were they? He thought for a moment, then, out of sudden suspicion, entered the alleyway. Making a few turns, he finally saw Kurama and Kuwabara. They were both leaning over something, their bodies hiding the object from Yusuke's view. 

"What's that?" Yusuke asked. No answer. "Hello? You hear me?" Silence. Yusuke began getting impatient. "OI!" 

Suddenly, they both turned and glared down at Yusuke. He stood there; confused... something was horribly wrong. Kurama and Kuwabara didn't look like... Kurama and Kuwabara. Suddenly, the spirit detective gasped, his chocolate colored eyes narrowing and growing hard. Their eyes. Kurama's eyes had turned a coal black color, while Kuwabara's had changed into a sickish crimson red. They held no sign of sympathy, no sign of disregard, no hint of kindness. 

"Shimatte! You're not Kurama OR Kuwabara!" The pair laughed, and then changed completely. 

"Kurama" morphed into a light blue wolf-like looking creature, with three tails and icy eyes. "Kuwabara" turned into a cobalt serpent thing, equipped with long fangs that jutted out from the tops of its mouth and blood colored eyes. Typical standard C-class shape shifting demons. Yusuke grinned, raising his ki level. _This is gonna be fun_. 

The two attacked, and Yusuke nimbly dodged their small onslaught, blasting a rei gun bullet over his shoulder. The serpent shrieked, and writhed, falling to the ground. The wolf snarled, and then leapt at Yusuke. The spirit detective met it head-on with a powerful rei gun, sending it reeling back into a wall. Both demons twitched, and then lay still.

The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the alley. Kurama and Kuwabara appeared soon after, followed by Hiei.

"Where were you, Yusuke? You disappeared. I sensed a small blast of energy, and thought you were in trouble." Kurama said. Giving a disapproving look at his friend. Yusuke shrugged.

"Nothin' much. Just a couple of low class demons." He replied, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "Hey, Hiei, why'd you come?" 

"I sensed your ki." Hiei bluntly replied, staring blankly at Yusuke.

"Oh." Then he changed the subject. "Those two were staring at something when I got here. Let's go check it out." Kurama concurred, and the four crowded around the small object.

"What is it?" Kuwabara asked. Yusuke blinked, picking up the shiny object.

"It...it...it's a 100 yen piece!" He shouted in disbelief, looking at the familiar piece of currency in his hand. 

Somewhere in Kurama's head, his Youko side whispered to him _Ooooo... shiny... steal it! _

Kurama, however, paid no heed. That is, until another pair of footfalls were heard. The team tensed, and faced the alleyway opening, only to find a familiar blue-haired ferry girl standing in front of them, her face solemn.

"Thank goodness you found them!" Botan said, motioning to the fallen demons. "I was sent to have to capture them, anyhow." Then, her voice tensed "Yusuke, do you know who these are?" Yusuke, clueless, shook his head. Botan continued. "They're spies, sent by the ice demon, Tsuaigo. He's gotten his hands on one of the most precious weapons in Makai: The Pipe of Lost Souls. Yusuke-" But she was cut off from there. 

"And let me guess, I've gotta go stop him, and get the weapon back, and make sure he causes no harm, right?" the therefore mentioned asked, sarcasm dripping in his voice. Botan blinked. 

"Right." Yusuke's expression changed from that of an annoyed one to that of an angry one.

"WELL HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO ENJOY MY WINTER BREAK!?" He screamed at her. Botan, however, screamed right back.

"IS THIS ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR MANKIND VS VACATION DECISIONS?!" She shrieked, glaring him down. Yusuke groaned. 

"Not that again!" 

"So go!" Yusuke finally gave in. 

"Fine, fine." He grumbled. "Where's the portal?" Botan blinked again.

"You're staring at it." She said slowly. Everyone's eyes darted to the money in Kurama's hand.

"_THIS_ is the portal?!" Yusuke brandished it in front of Botan's face. "Botan, not even _Hiei would be able to fit through that!" Botan waved her hand impatiently._

"No, no, not the 100 yen piece, this!" She kicked away a pile of rubble, revealing the portal underneath.

"Oh."

 "Come on, go! If Tsuaigo figures out how to play the pipe..." Botan trailed off, then shook her head. "Just go!" 

"Alright, alright." Yusuke leaned over the portal, staring at it. He shivered from the cold air blasting through the portal, but wasn't surprised. _Well, Tsuaigo _is_ an ice demon after all... Hiei, becoming impatient, gave him a slight push, and the spirit detective tumbled in with a loud rain of curses. Kuwabara jumped in next, then Kurama, then Hiei. _

"Good luck..." Botan's voice faded as the four fell deeper into Makai. And into Tsuaigo's trap.

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Merry Christmas, SilverKitsune568! Aaaanyhow... I know the characters were a tad bit OOC, but oh well. I'm trying a new style of writing! How do you like it? Anyhow, REVIEW!

~Koganeiro Kitsune


	2. Once in Makai

Chapter 2: Once in Makai...

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Well, except for Tsuaigo. But he's my OC.

Okay, see, this isn't SUPPOSED to be Yaoi, but if you can think of it as Yaoi if you want to. I've given up trying to make people think other than what they want to. Hey, it's YOUR messed up head.

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"AAARGH!" This scream, coming from the mouth of Yusuke Urameshi, spirit detective, bounced in the icy regions of Makai and was followed shortly by a- PHLUMP! And an: "OW! DAMMIT! Can't Botan find anyplace soft for us to land in?" The irony of all this, however, was that there was in fact something soft to land in. Three feet deep snow. Yusuke stood up, gingerly wiping his face free of the dirt and snow.

"URAMESHI, MOVE!" Yusuke looked up... before meeting violently with the ground again. Ground, meet Yusuke. Yusuke, meet Ground. 

"GET OFFA ME, STUPID!" The spirit detective shouted, shoving Kuwabara off him, before scrambling off the frozen ground.

"YUSUKEIWOULDSUGGESTYOUMOVERIGHTNOWBEFORE-" PHLUMP! Yusuke, I believe you've already met Ground before. "Eh... sorry, Yusuke." Kurama leapt up, looking in the now Yusuke-sized hole in the ground. The detective himself stood up, didn't even bother to brush the dirt and snow off him, and ran as far as he could before Hiei landed. Which, considering the fact they were thigh deep in snow, was not a lot. Yusuke looked up, saw Hiei falling headfirst, and sighed, preparing for the impact... which never came.

"Hn. You ningens are clumsy, too, above all things." The fire Jaganshi landed softly in the snow, coming stomach deep in it. He grimaced a bit, but remained as neutral as possible. 

"Its cold." Three sweatdropping heads turned towards Kuwabara, who was dancing up and down trying to bring the feeling back into his toes. Kurama, suddenly realizing his own cold, nodded mutely.

"Do not be surprised. This _is_ the Tsuaigo's territory, and he _is_ an ice demon, after all." At this point, the therefore mentioned fox sighed and wrapped his arms around himself, trying to keep warm. "I just wish I brought something warm, that's all." Yusuke, being the arrogant idiot that he is, laughed and let a grin plaster itself on his face.

"You guys are weak! I feel fine; it's not that cold!" But at that, a small, smug chuckle came from the black clad member of the group.

"Are you really that sure? Your face is turning blue, detective." As Hiei spoke up, Kurama looked worriedly at him. 

"Hiei, are you alright? You're probably the worst one off in the whole group; you're a fire demon." The mentioned gave a contemptuous snort, followed by an icy glare. _Yes, a fire demon, with Koorime blood._ Hiei sent the telepathic message and watched Kurama give him a skeptical look, but at insistence, the fox dropped it. "So I guess we'd better get going, ne?" Kurama wandered off to a new subject, counting the votes. Two nods and a "Hn". 

"Let's go!" Yusuke shouted, taking a running start... then tripping and falling flat on his face. By now, Ground and Yusuke were becoming very good friends. 

"Hn. The ice regions of Makai are filled with cracks and ridges. Be careless and you end up just like the detective." Hiei scoffed, carefully stepping over Yusuke. 

"Hey, how do you know about this place, shrimp?" Hiei stiffened, then whirled around to face the tall ningen. "I just know." And Kuwabara was silenced by the infamous death glare. 

"Let's get going, shall we?" Kurama desperately asked, trying to find some way to keep from freezing his feet off. 

"Hn."

ONE HOUR LATER...

"Oi, I'm tired!" Yusuke sighed, flopping down into the snow. Kurama sighed, turned around to check on their progress, and found the original Yusuke-shaped hole in the ground three meters from where they were. _Great. At this rate, Tsuaigo may as well come find us. He thought, but said nothing, only reacting by helping Yusuke to his feet. _

The proud detective leaned on his friend's shoulder, trying to recuperate from the effort of dragging himself through the snow. The fox turned around to check on Hiei and Kuwabara, only to find the latter standing. Actually, bending over with his hands in the snow.

"Um... Kuwabara? What are you doing?"

"Ahhh... Shrimp passed out a while ago. I'm still trying to find him." Kurama, alarmed, dropped Yusuke and practically dove into the snow, fishing around for Hiei. Being a fire demon, he has an unusually high temperature. That means Hiei feels about 2 times colder than everyone else; the cold affects him more. Having a bit of Koorime blood enabled him to survive this long, but he would eventually pass out. 

"Aha!" Kurama felt something warm and resilient against the cold snow, and pulled the unconscious Jaganshi up by his arm. "Hiei? Hiei? You hear me? Makai to Hiei!" Kurama felt around his friend's wrist, desperately trying to locate a pulse, and later gave a small sigh of relief, feeling the faint pulse beating against his fingertips. 

"Hey! Hey! There!" Kurama turned his head at Yusuke's shout. Following the detective's fingertip, he found it led to a cave. "Shelter! I found shelter!" Yusuke shouted proudly, running towards it. This, as we all know, has the effect of... falling flat on his face. But Yusuke couldn't have cared less. He leapt back up and finished his sprint towards the cave. "Here! Here! Its warmer in the back!" At the mention of heat, Kuwabara ran off, leaving Kurama to carry Hiei. The fox let him lean heavily on his shoulder, and gingerly began his walk to the cave. 

In the cave, Yusuke had somehow succeeded in creating a fire. Walking to the cave opening, he saw Kurama limping towards him with Hiei on his shoulder. Yusuke waved at them, and Kurama waved back. Yusuke mouthed for Kurama to be careful, that that was the place where he had tripped. Kurama nodded, stepped forward, before disappearing into the snow with a yelp. Yusuke blinked and rubbed his eyes, waiting for them to reappear. But they didn't. 

Yusuke, alarmed at this point, rushed out to where they disappeared, but skidded to a stop. He barely managed to prevent himself from going over the edge of a blackened hole. Right where Kurama had disappeared.

"Oh shit." 

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BWAHAHAHAA!!!!!! CLIFFIE!! So, will Kurama and Hiei get out of the hole? What about Tsuaigo? Will he attack anytime soon? Find out in tomorrow's chapter! Once again, Merry Christmas SilverKitsune568!

~Koganeiro Kitsune


	3. We have to escape!

Chapter 3: We Have To Escape!

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH.

~KURAMA'S POV.~

Ow. I hate ice. Ice is stupid. Ice is cold. Ice… hurts. Stupid ice. Or it could be the fact I just fell into a huge ice cavern underneath the ground, but that brings me back to my first statement: I hate ice. Stop laughing. It's not funny. Especially when one manages to fall directly on their hind quarters, as I just did. Stop laughing! I have some delicate tailbones back there!

"HOLY CRAP! WHERE ARE WE?!" Well that was surprising… Hiei's awake, it seems. Huh? Rattling? Oh, stalactites.

"We just fell into an underground cavern. I don't think it's much."

"Did you slide coming down? At all?" Now that I think about it, there could be another reason my backside feels like Hellfire…

"Yeah, I think so…"

"A lot?" A nod. Odd, Hiei seems paler than usual. Is he that cold? "Hiei? Are you alright? You don't look too well." Nothing in reply; just a hard glare.

"Kurama…" I cocked an eyebrow.

"What?" And the next thing I knew was considerable pain. "OW! Hiei what the heck did you do that for?" I need to get a sword. The hilt makes for a nice skull basher.

"Do. You. Know. Where. We. ARE?!" Had this been cheap cartooning, I would have had the question mark over my head by now.

"No." Hiei glared so hard I was afraid the cavern would melt around us. He took a deep breath and was ready to scream his lungs out when I quickly covered his mouth. "Hiei, don't you dare start screaming. There are stalactites everywhere on the ceilings, and if you yell until the moon cracks we will have a very, very, VERY unpleasant shish kabob, alright?" A nod. Good. 

"Mmph mmmm mmmnn mmmm mmph mmmph!" Wha?

"What?"

"Mmph mmph mmnn mm mmmn mmph!!" Huh?

"Huh?" 

CHOMP! OW! He bit me! That punk just bit me! I had to cover my own mouth to keep from screaming! 

"_What_ did you do that for?!" I bet sparks were shooting out of my eyes now. Droplets of blood trickled from my hand onto the cavern floor and… oooh… look what a pretty pattern they make! Preeeeetty… Okay, Kurama, snap out of it now! Hiei's answering you. Oh crap… and I wasn't even listening to him…

"Get it?" … so all I could reply with was a very eloquent

"Huh?" Hey… what's Hiei doing? I can see his fangs. Is he baring his teeth at me? For some odd reason, I keep feeling like he wants to _eat_ me… 

"We're in a cavern under Koorime city. If you want to live, we HAVE to get out of here. Understand?" Wait… that doesn't make sense.

"I thought Koorime City was a floating citadel." A shake of the head from Hiei.

"Koorime City isn't made up of just the city. There's wilderness surrounding it. Lots of cold wilderness. We were dropped off somewhere in the wilderness. NOW do you get it? GET MOVING!" Wilderness? Not like there's a lot of wild things in a snow globe, which was what I felt like we were trapped in.

"Wait… why is this cavern so dangerous?"

"Because," Soon I found myself staring at a pair of wine red eyes, and the front of my shirt being forcefully pulled. He _is fast. "The Koorime use this place as a mine. We're lucky none have found us yet!" _

"Well how do we get out?" Hiei pointed somewhere to my right. I looked. There was a door.

"Oh." 

"MOVE." I reached out for the doorknob, grabbed it, and recoiled at how cold it was. It burned! I looked over to my friend, hoping he'd take the clue. He did. Hiei melted the door, and we were left with facing a black tunnel, with only a few spots of light puncturing the darkness. Everything was going fine. Dodododo… lalalalala… How long does this freaking tunnel go on!? Hey! Light! 

I rushed towards the light, but right before I stepped out, I smashed into something warm and soft. 

"Umph!" And she turned around. Standing in the filtering sunlight, was a Koorime. The normal aqua colored hair was there, but her eyes were cold and grey. She lowered her flute from her mouth and looked at me with a glare to match Hiei's. Oops.

"Watch where you're going!" She snarled at me, brushing her way past. For once in my life, I was _glad_ I had been mistaken for a female. Not very common, though. I stepped into the sunlight, blinking as the sun hit my eyes. Suddenly, I was knocked down by the force of the Koorime running towards the city, screaming loud enough to deafen me. But as she ran off, I caught most of what she screamed, and my blood ran cold.

"IT'S THE FORBIDDEN CHILD! HE HAS RETURNED!"

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AN: Oh, I'm evil! So, this story will apparently have a side plot, but it'll all tie together in the end… somehow… you just have to wait and find out how! Anyhow, Merry Christmas, Silverkitsune568! Make an authoress happy; please review.

~Koganeiro Kitsune


	4. Capture!

Chapter 4: Capture!

Disclaimer: If I owned YYH, I would be the richest person and the happiest alive. But sadly, I am neither. _

~NORMAL POV~

"Hiei!" Kurama cursed under his breath, waiting for his friend to appear. But he didn't. The fox, alarmed, dived back into the cavern, but was not ready for the sight that beheld him. "Oh gods." Kurama took in a sharp breath, looking at the pathetic state Hiei was in. 

Using her ice powers, the Koorime had managed to partially seal him to the wall. Sometime during the process, Kurama guessed, Hiei had passed out. She left his head and body free, but the fire demon could do nothing to melt the hunks of ice keeping his arms and legs stuck to the wall. He couldn't if he tried, either. There were ice wards plastered on the hunks of frozen water. Kurama picked up the nearest thing he could find, a stone rock, and pounded away at the ice, hoping to chip it all away before the Koorime appeared again. 

Slowly, piece after piece, the ice came apart, and Hiei was soon free. _Why didn't he fight back?_ Kurama wondered, but shook it off, more concerned about getting his friend to safety than anything else. The fox turned around and…

"THERE HE IS! THE FORBIDDEN CHILD AND HIS FRIEND!" Kurama winced, his ears ringing from the Koorime's verbal assault. Behind her, he saw others gathering, poised for an attack. Kurama shifted Hiei's weight to one shoulder and his hand instinctively reached for the seeds in his hair. However, halfway there, he stopped, wondering how he'd grow anything in the snow. All his plants were adapted for the warm, humid forests where his den used to be. This was Koorime City; there was nowhere warm in sight. Unless… No. Kurama shook his head vigorously, clearing his head of that plan. There was no possible way he could control _that plant yet. It would surly grow out of control, and Koorime City would know no more. _

Slowly, the Koorime backed them up into a corner, Kurama finally grasping his rose and fumbling with the whip. As he transferred energy into his whip, the biting cold seemed to increase tenfold just from the bit he used. The lead Koorime, the one who Kurama bumped into, held out her hand. In the other were talismans* and a crystalline whip. Kurama raised an eyebrow.

"Give us the Forbidden Child and we shall allow you to escape." Kurama remained tacit; his only reply was nipping her hand with his rose whip. She snarled and recoiled, her blood turning into sharp pieces of crimson ice. "Fine. Have it your way." With that, she threw the talismans and whip over her shoulder, another Koorime catching it. 

"Don't you even want use of your weapon?" He asked, stepping back a pace. The Koorime laughed. 

"That thing?" She asked, jerking a thumb at the demoness who caught it. "I have no need for that. You were defeated the minute you stepped into our territory. Kurama grimaced, tightening his hold on the rose whip. The Koorime closed her eyes and raised her arms above her head. The others seemed to grow restless with the stance. They knew something. She let both hands majestically fall to her sides, before sharply raising them to hover in front of her chest. As Kurama watched, a small ball of light appeared, slowly growing till it was the size of a softball. Kurama finally decided he would not let this go on any longer. Letting Hiei drop to the ground, he lunged forth with his rose whip, but halfway through the attack Hiei awoke.

"KURAMA! YOU IDIOT! GET ON THE GROUND!" Kurama, shocked by his friend's alarmed reaction, dropped like a stone. But it was too late. The Koorime opened her eyes, both palms facing towards her enemy.

"HEART OF ICE!" Kurama shielded his eyes, as the ball of light exploded, sending him hurling back into the wall.  He tried to struggle back on his feet, and to his contempt, found that he couldn't move. 

Kurama blinked, his eyes darting to the lead Koorime. She stared at him and cruely laughed, walking over and kicking him in the ribs. Had Kurama had control over his voice, he would have screamed enough to shatter Mars. He felt his ribcage snap, the Koorime freezing him before attacking. She watched his futile efforts to regain control, and shook her head. 

"Give up. You have absolutely no chance of living. There _is a reason my attack is called the 'Heart of Ice.' Learn to enjoy the last few minutes of your life." Kurama's eyes darted over to Hiei, who, to his dismay, had also been caught in the blast. But the Koorime, after sticking talismans on him, set him free. Hiei didn't even try to struggle, only following their commands as if in a trace. Kurama read the talisman stuck on the back of the fire demon's neck._

"Imperial decree: Obedience" Inwardly, Kurama made a face, but he looked up as an elder Koorime approached. She kicked Hiei, sending him sprawling. There was no response except for him regaining his composure.

"Is he the one? Is he the Forbidden Child?" As if acting as one, the group replied.

"Yes, Elite Empress." The Empress gave a small, almost arrogant smile.

"Good. Get as much information as possible from him. We will need to know what is happening around Makai. He may also hold dear, sweet secrets of the Reikai Tentai. Extract whatever information you can; by any means necessary. And leave no tear gems lying around. They are a part of the Forbidden Child too, and they hold power." With that, she walked out of the cave, but not before the lead Koorime ran up to her.

"Empress, with all respect, what shall we do when we've gotten all information from him?" She bowed, and looked up quickly. Kurama was beginning to notice drowsiness and sharp chest pains, especially when he'd breathe in. The Empress replied without even turning around.

"Kill him." And that was all Kurama heard before he blacked out.

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*Talismans are basically slips of paper with orders on them; lots like wards, but they control the person. Anyone who knows about Shaman King and has watched or read the Lee Bailong series should know. 

AN: Alright, I KNOW Koorime aren't that strong, but they should have some means of protection, right? *sighs* Poor Hiei, Poor Kurama, what will they do? Find out in the next chapter! REVIEW AND MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

~Koganeiro Kitsune


	5. Rescued!

Chapter 5: Rescued!

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH. THIS IS NOT YOAI, SHONEN-AI, WHATEVER!!!

~NORMAL POV~

Kurama groaned, slowly pushing himself upright, but yelped as a sharp pain in his chest caught him off-guard. The thick green sleeping bag slowly slid off his shoulders, exposing him to the cold. But surprisingly, the small cave was warm, and Kurama found out why when he saw a tarp stretched over the entrance. Next to him, a warm fire burned brightly, its flames jumping and dancing. _How'd I get here? He wondered, blinking at the fire. _

"Hey! Kurama's awake!" The mentioned looked up at an all too familiar voice and saw Kuwabara, followed by Yusuke, coming over.

"You okay, Kurama?" Yusuke asked, pointing to the fox's chest. "Man, you were pretty beat up when we found you." And Kurama finally noticed his chest had been messily wrapped in bandages.

"I- I think so… Where's Hiei?" Kurama asked, snapping to attention at his friend's disappearance. Yusuke responded with a pained look.

"To tell you the truth… we don't know. He was gone when we got there." Kurama inwardly grimaced. He tried to get in a standing position, but Yusuke firmly brought his hands down on his shoulders. 

"What? Yusuke, let me go." Yusuke plainly shook his head. 

"No way. I don't care how well you _think you are; you're not going anywhere till that wound heals." Kurama glared a very Hiei-ish glare._

"I will repeat: let me go, Yusuke." Same response. Kurama finally gave up, slumping back onto the cave ground. He watched the fire burn with little interest, before turning back to Yusuke. "Did you have any luck finding Tsuaigo?" Yusuke gave the answer in the negative.

"Nada. The signal's too faint for even Kuwabara to detect and with Hiei gone…" Yusuke trailed off. "What happened to him, anyhow?" Kurama sighed.

"Demons you'd never expect." He bemusedly watched the spirit detective's expression change from upset to utterly baffled.

"Huh?"

"Koorime." Yusuke's eyes widened in disbelief.

"K-Koorime? But… but…" Yusuke changed tactics. "Why?" Kurama shook his head.

"As of that, I am clueless. All I know is they want information from him, though why they chose _Hiei I have no idea." Yusuke sighed. _

"Great. Now we have TWO things to complete. As if Tsuaigo wasn't enough, now Hiei's captured!" Kurama started a shrug, but stopped as his ribcage throbbed in protest.

"Koorime aren't that powerful; the only attack that you've got to watch out for is the Heart of Ice. That has paralyzing abilities, but I don't think all Koorimes can use it…"  Yusuke looked up.

"Was that what brought you and Hiei down?" he inquired, quirking an eyebrow. Kurama gave a single nod. 

"As far as Hiei's concerned, I think we should find him first before facing Tsuaigo. And we've _got_ to hurry."

"Why?" Kurama gritted his teeth and showed a look of disdain; like he could taste something horrible in his mouth.

"Once they've gotten all needed information from him…" Kurama hesitated.

"Yeah?"

"They'll kill him." Yusuke's eyes widened to an unbelievable size.

"What?" He asked hoarsely. "I thought you said Koorime didn't HAVE attacks…" Kurama sighed.

"They don't."

"Then how...?" 

"They're still ice demons; they have the ability to freeze." 

But then, as if remembering something, Yusuke gave a small sigh of relief, almost. Kurama raised an eyebrow.  

"What?" Yusuke grinned.

"Don't forget, this is _Hiei we're talking about. He'll never talk, no matter what!" Kurama glowered at Yusuke._

"Koorime are experts in torture. I hardly think even Hiei could resist for long." Yusuke's grin evaporated, only to be replaced by a look of pure horror.

"Kisama… We've got to get him out of there!" Kurama sighed, turning his gaze from Yusuke's eyes to the dancing fire.

"Even then… it may be too late…" But this did nothing save raising Yusuke's temper.

"Listen, I don't care how late it is; Hiei is still Hiei, and if we have to drag him out in pieces, we will!" Kurama stared, shocked at Yusuke's grotesque remark. "Don't give up on him yet, Kurama. You never know, he'll surprise you." Kurama gave a small grin and nodded, showing his approval. 

"Alright, let's go." But Yusuke shook his head.

"No way, you're staying here." Kurama would've fallen back in shock, had he not been lying on the floor already.

"What? Why?" Yusuke stared at him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Which, considering what he had said earlier, it probably was.

"That wound is going to kill you if you don't stay down. Me and Kuwabara will go, you stay and watch for Tsuaigo." Kurama, surprised at Yusuke's plan of action, agreed, before pulling the sleeping bag up around his shoulders again. He watched Yusuke talk to Kuwabara, before walking out the cave entrance. Kurama grew a bit groggy, but before the duo left, he made one last remark.

"Yusuke, you might want to hurry up!" Yusuke stuck his head back into the warm cave. 

"Huh? Why?" Kurama let a sly smile show.

"Because the sooner you find Hiei, the sooner we can find Tsuaigo, and the sooner we can get back to Ningenkai."

"Why?" Kurama almost laughed out loud.

"I doubt Keiko and Yukina are very pleased." Kurama watched his friend's face pale at the mention of the girls, and he rushed out.

"Kuwabara! We'd better get this over fast, you hear!?" Kurama chuckled, and settled down. He slowly gave in to his drowsiness, and soon fell fast asleep.

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AN: Okay, That sucked, but I had a really bad writer's block. I'm sorry!! Next chap will be better, I promise! Merry Christmas, Silverkitsune568!!!

~Koganeiro Kitsune


	6. Deviance

Chapter 6: Deviance

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own. WARNING!! HIEI OOC-NESS!!! MAJORLY!!! But there's a reason!

          ~NORMAL POV~

"Speak! I command you!" There was no answer, only a harsh glare through wine-red eyes. "Do you _dare_ defy me?!" The Koorime shrieked with rage. "Do you dare defy me, lowly Forbidden Child?!" Hiei didn't respond, not even bothering to bat an eye. He stood, wards covering his body, watching the Koorime's temper rise. He could keep this up forever, Koorime were normally a weak race. Surly, she was being pushed to her limit. 

CRACK! Hiei gritted his teeth from the pain that shot up his back as his spine connected to the crystal floor. Slowly, he picked himself up, his fierce glare unphased. The Koorime screamed in rage, and Hiei gave a tiny wince as her knuckles connected with his left cheek. He felt her ice powers freeze and then shatter the bone. He could do nothing to defend himself, his sword stolen and his energy locked away. Hiei let out a breath of pain as he felt her foot make contact with his ribcage. Painfully, he stood back up, nursing the four crushed ribs in his right side. But still he remained silent, not wanting the Koorime to have the satisfaction of knowing she caused him pain. 

"Oh, a defiant one, eh?" The Koorime hissed, sending him sprawling with a blow to the back of the head. From there, she continued an assortment of different hits, each one seemingly worse than the last. Hiei slowly fazed in and out of consciousness, blissfully painless while unconscious, but in splintering pain as he was forced awake. Suddenly, Hiei could no longer feel the painful blows the Koorime inflicted on him. Slowly, he cracked open an eye, and to his dismay, he was still alive. He tried to get up, and barely succeeded, hanging onto the wall for support. Huffing and panting, Hiei stumbled forward, catching himself just before he hit the ground. 

"Sh-Shimatte" He growled, desperately clutching to the wall. The Koorime slid in and out of view, and Hiei had to blink rapidly to keep his eyesight in focus. She walked over to him, but she didn't hit him again. Instead, a furious fire raged in her eyes. How ironic, Hiei thought, that a Koorime would have fiery eyes. He directed his less powerful glare at her, but almost fell again. Still, he said nothing relating to the Reikai Tentai. The Koorime took one good look at him.

The once dignified and proud fire Jaganshi was hanging onto the crystal wall, steadying his weight on one leg as the other was twisted beyond imagination. One badly bruised arm grasped the wall, while the other hung limply at his side, useless. His frame was slumped over, much to the contradictory of his usual straight figure. He was leaning towards the left, trying not to jar his right side. On contrast, his left cheek had swollen his black eye shut. He breathed heavily, watching the Koorime advance through his one good eye. As if playing his trump card, he let out an intimidating growl that would normally have stopped enemies in their tracks. But the Koorime didn't even flinch.

"I can tell its no use trying to make you talk through physical means." A sadistic grin lit up the Koorime's features. "So I guess I'll have to attack you in… a different way." Hiei did not like the look on her face. He strengthened his mental walls, not allowing the Koorime access to his mind. He could feel her fighting against his mental barriers, trying to force her way into Hiei's mind. And though he resisted, he could slowly feel his strength being sapped away from the effort. 

Finally, as one of the barriers tumbled down, and the Koorime exploded into Hiei's mind. The fire demon gave a shocked cry, stumbling from the sheer force the Koorime had used. As he tumbled onto the ground, his body screamed in protest, sending fiery signals of pain. Hiei could take it no longer. He blacked out.

_Well well well… You have an interesting mind, Forbidden Child._ Hiei entered his own mind, searching for the Koorime. He passed old memories and growled as the Koorime made her appearance. She shifted through recent memories, looking at the Reikai Tantei with interest. 

_Get OUT of my head!_ Hiei shouted, his own voice echoing in the darkness of his mind. The Koorime looked up and shook her head with a mischievous grin on her face. 

_I'm sorry; I don't think I can do that. For you see, I've been sent to get information about the Spirit Detective and his friends. And,_ She stopped, putting a strong mental barrier between her and Hiei. _I'm going to get what I want. I don't care if I have to take it forcefully, but you won't talk. So, I'm sapping it out of you through your head. Oh? What's this? Another Koorime?_ Hiei stared at the picture in her hands and tried to force the barrier down, much to the annoyance of the Koorime.

_Yukina_…_ Hiei thought, but as the Koorime was in his head, she heard everything. _

_So Yukina's her name, huh? What's this? A Youko? Intriguing friends you have here, Forbidden Child._ Hiei growled, trying again to break down the barrier, until the Koorime said something that made his blood run cold. _Terrible if anything were to… happen to them, right? Hiei grew livid._

_Don't you DARE do anything to my friends; _I_ am your captive! Hiei fumed, pounding on the barrier harder. The Koorime grew irritated._

_Stop that._ Hiei didn't respond, only pounding harder. _STOP THAT, I SAID!_ She stood up with a furious glare, but then a smirk found its way back onto her face. _Never mind. I have all the information I need._ Hiei glared. _ And as for you, Forbidden Child, now, you die. And she disappeared. Hiei growled and tried to return to his body, but to his surprise, he couldn't. _

_What the hell?_ He tried again. Failiure. Suddenly, the manical laughter of the Koorime filled his ears.

"Tell me, Forbidden Child, how does it feel to be a captive of your own mind? Tell me, oh wait… YOU CAN'T!!" Her voice was distant, so far away. Hiei was terrified by now. The memories around him disappeared, leaving only a dark void. Hiei frantically looked around, desperate to see anything but the darkness. He ran. Hiei ran as fast as he could, fear biting at his heels. He didn't even know what he was running from, until he smashed into a figure.

Hiei looked up. _Yu-Yukina! He choked out, scrambling back on his feet. But she turned around, giving him a glare. Hiei was shocked. Yukina was… angry at him? _Yukina__?___ Are-are you okay? She responded with an even harsher glare. Hiei stepped back, unsure of how to react._

_I know, Hiei._ Hiei stared at her. _I know you're my brother._ Hiei felt numb. He stood on the spot, not moving. Yukina continued. _Did you really think I was that stupid?! I can't believe this… I can't believe…_ Hiei finally found his voice, and asked her a question hoarsely.

_What can you not believe?_ He timidly asked, though he was on the verge of tears. Yet, he retained the calm exterior. 

_I can't believe that _YOU_ are my brother! The words stung worse than anything the other Koorime had done to him. Yukina spoke with such venom and distaste. It was official; she hated him. __I denied it at first, you weren't anything like me! You were a murderer! A criminal!  But sooner or later, the puzzle came together. But still, I can't believe... _

Hiei tried to reach out to her, but in hatred, Yukina slapped away his hand._ Don't touch me, you monster! How could you__ ever be my brother, I don't know, I've always thought my brother was merciful, understanding, By this time, tears had formed in Yukina's eyes. Hiei only stared. _And kind!_ With that last angry remark, she slapped Hiei so hard, he fell to the ground. She stomped away, not even throwing a backwards glance. Hiei didn't even try to get up; he just sat in numb shock, holding a hand to his cheek. _

_Yu-Yukina…_ He choked out. She didn't respond. _I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…_ And finally, 

_Chink_

_Chink, chink_

_Chink, chink, chink, chink, chink, chink_

Hiei sat there, letting angry tears stream down his face. They transformed into tear gems and disappeared as they touched the ground, but Hiei couldn't have care less. 

_I'm so sorry, Yukina, I'm sorry…_ _Chink, chink, chink, Gods, I'm so sorry… He curled up in the fetal position like a frightened child, letting the tears flow. He would've stayed like this, had the next person not come._

_HIEI! GODS DAMMIT WHERE ARE YOU?!_ Hiei bolted, wiping the tears from his eyes. 

_K-Kurama?!__ Kurama where are you?! Hiei dashed in the direction of Kurama's voice. He found the kitsune easily enough, reaching him was a problem. There was a shield separating him and Kurama. _

_Hiei_! Where are you?!_ Hiei cursed himself for not being able to reach the fox; Kurama was having a hard time holding off the demon. _

_KURAMA! HERE!_ Kurama turned around, hearing Hiei's scream, but looked around wildly, like he couldn't see him.

_WHERE?!_

_HERE! RIGHT HERE!!_ And as Hiei watched, the demon sneaked up behind the baffled fox. _FOX!! MOVE!! Kurama started at Hiei's remark, but before he could swing his rose whip, the demon lashed out. _KURAMA! KURAMA!_ The mentioned flew backwards from the impact, and Hiei watched in surprise as Kurama went right through the barrier and into his arms. Kurama looked up, surprised, and Hiei greened at the fox's wound. _

Kurama's eyes slowly slid closed, as more warm blood bubbled up from his wound. It pooled around him and Hiei both, and Kurama's breathing grew shallower and faster.

_Kurama__?_ Kurama? Come on, fox, wake up. I'm here. Right here._ Kurama murmured his response, not even opening his eyes._

_Oh, _there_ you are, Hiei… there… you…are… And Hiei felt his friend go limp in his arms. His crimson bangs covered his eyes, and all breathing stopped. Hiei could no longer feel the fox's rapid heartbeat. _

_Kurama__?_ Kurama? Kuso, Kurama, you can't be dead!_ Hiei's voice cracked as the fox didn't respond. __Kurama__! Hiei shook the fox, roughly at first, but then gently. Nothing. __Kurama__… you're gone… and… it's my fault… Hiei finally broke down, sobbing. Tear gems hit the floor at a rapid rate, and gradually, Hiei sobbed himself to sleep, still trapped in his endless nightmare._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AN: WAAAAH! POOR HIEI!!! SEE?! MAJOR OOC-NESS! But… yeah, that was the sideplot, the story will switch, but they tie together in the end, ok? THIS IS NON YAOI!!! NON YAOI! Anyhow, later! MERRY CHRISTMAS, SILVERKITSUNE568!

~Koganeiro Kitsune


	7. Tsuaigo Attacks!

Chapter 7: Tsuaigo Attacks!

Disclaimer: Nada, don't own them.

~NORMAL POV~

It was quiet. Kurama liked quiet. Quiet usually meant peace, tranquility, calmness. There would be no blood shed when it was as quiet as it was now. There would be no lives stolen, no fighting and terror. Nothing. That was why he loved the quietness so much. He had just closed his eyes, ready to drift off into blissful sleep, until…

BOOM! Kurama was jerked awake against his wishes, and was met with a cold blast of air. The quietness was gone, and in its place there was a gaping hole in the middle of a cave wall. Kurama never anticipated this. He never even thought anything would happen in the warm cave while Yusuke and Kuwabara were away. But it happened. 

Kurama breathed heavily, forcing himself up. He cried out in pain as the wound was jarred, gasping as it pounded in pain. The considerable drop in temperature meant only one thing. Kurama drew out his rose whip, steadying himself for anything. He knew what was happening. Tsuaigo had attacked. 

The ice demon walked in, and Kurama almost dropped his rose whip in surprise. 

"_YOU?!" He gasped, seeing the Koorime he bumped into. His mouth dropped and he eyed her warily. "_YOU_ are Tsuaigo?!" The Koorime laughed a maniacal laugh that sent even colder chills up his spine. Slowly, though, the laugh tapered into silence._

"You demons are so sexist these days. Yes, I'm Tsuaigo, greatest master of ice!" She laughed, and Kurama shook his head, trying to clear his head of that awful laughter. 

"You-You're wrong!" Kurama huffed, clutching his rose whip so hard his knuckles turned white. That made Tsuaigo stop and stare.

"What? What did you say to me, fox?" Kurama shifted his weight to one foot, wincing as the wound reacted.  

"You heard me. You aren't the greatest master of ice, Touya is." He argued, remembering the fight with the Shinobi. Tsuiago glared at him, but soon her face changed from anger to show smugness.

"Yes, Touya… I know him… Pfft, he may be CONSIDERED the greatest ice magician, but I _KNOW_ I AM! You will regret defying me, just as your little Forbidden Child friend!" Kurama's eyes widened, and his whole body shivered in the cold.

"Wh-WHAT did you do to Hiei?" He hissed through clenched teeth. "Where are Yusuke and Kuwabara?!" He added. Tsuaigo raised an eyebrow.

"Yusuke and Kuwabara?" She asked, utterly baffled. "Where the hell are they?" Kurama let out a small sigh of relief. She had not gotten to them yet. 

"Spicy tongue for a lady." He cheeked, gaining slight amusement from her fury.

"Oh, you WILL regret saying EVERYTHING!" She growled, raising her arms above her head. This time, however, Kurama was ready for the attack, and lashed out with his rose whip before she could power up. Tsuaigo snorted, doing a series of flips and spins to avoid the whip. Kurama was impressed; she had gymnastic skills to match his own.

Bringing his whip up, he just barely nipped Tsuaigo on her arm, but let a sly fox grin show. He had gained first blood. Tsuaigo glared at her injury, but brushed it off, watching the fox with slight earnest. She shook her head, letting her aqua hair whip from side to side. This was the second time today she saw a powerful demon in a pathetic state, downed by her own hand. 

Kurama was huffing from the effort of slashing his rose whip. He was shivering terribly from the intense cold, and every breath he took was like death as he kept irritating his injury. He looked as if he was on the verge of collapsing, which he was, and he could hardly keep himself up. 

Tsuaigo rolled her eyes, walking over to him. Kurama raised his rose whip, but she stopped just short of his range. Instead, she drew out something from under her icy blue kimono. It was the silver flute. 

Kurama's eyes widened, and he stepped back. The hold on his rose whip was unbelievable; blood had stopped flowing into his hands. He panted heavily, more out of fear than hurt. That was it. That was why they had been sent on this mission. There, in the Koorime's hands, lay the Pipe of Lost Souls. 

"I've been meaning to try this out." She mused, watching Kurama's fear. "But I've never had the chance. Or, at least," She flashed a devil's grin. "not on another demon." Kurama stumbled back, his back pressed against the cave wall. His hand dove into his hair, searching desperately for one particular seed. 

Tsuaigo put her lips to the flute, just as Kurama grasped the seed. 

Tsuaigo blew into the pipe. 

Kurama threw the seed into the ground. And then he doubled over in pain. The horrible sound of the haunting melody of the pipe bounced in his sensitive ears. 

Kurama felt it trying to control his mind, control his body. NO WAY IN HELL WAS HE GOING TO LET _THAT HAPPEN! He fought against the flute as best as he could; stalling only enough to grow his plant. Every second was like a frozen hell. Each bit of energy Kurama gave to the plant stole heat from him. He gasped, digging his nails into his ears, drawing blood. Kurama screamed as the melody reached a climax before dipping down again. _

Finally, Kurama saw a small shoot of icy blue plant wriggle its way up out of the ground, and he took in a sharp breath, letting out all his energy into that little plant. Finally, Tsuaigo noticed, and shrieked, letting the flute drop from her hands. Kurama gave a sigh of relief, dropping to his knees. The rose whip flew out of his hand and in midair, turned back into a rose. Kurama hit the ground with a thud, just as Tsuaigo let out her last scream.

The rose dropped to the base of the Ice Shard Plant…

…and shattered.

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AN: OHMYGOD!! KURAMA!!!!  *sigh* DONE WITH THIS CHAP!! Merry Christmas, Silverkitsune09!

~Koganeiro Kitsune


	8. Please wake up!

Chapter 8: Please wake up!

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own. Wish I did, though. *sigh* I DO own Tsuaigo, though. Wow… this is my longest story yet!

~NORMAL POV~

"Hiei? OH GODS! HIEI!" Yusuke cursed colorfully under his breath, while his companion checked the fire demon for a pulse and any sign of life. 

The Jaganshi had collapsed and was lying on the floor in a loose fetal postion. He was unnaturally pale, his skin cold and clammy to the touch. Hiei's Jagan was open and glowing, but not the color either spirit detective had thought it would be.

"GREEN?!" Kuwabara had exclaimed upon sight. "His-His Jagan's glowing GREEN?!" Yusuke was just as confused.

"But… why?!" And there started the efforts of getting him to wake up.

"SHRIMP! WAKE UP!" Kuwabara shrieked in Hiei's ears. The Jaganshi didn't flinch. "COME ON!! YOU'VE GOT TO WAKE UP!" Nothing, no response at all.

"HIEI! COME ON! WE KNOW YOU'RE ALIVE!! WAKE UP!" Suddenly, Yusuke got an idea. Staring back at his friend's Jagan, he beckoned to Kuwabara. "Hey, lame-brain, you've got better spirit intuition than I do. Can you get into Hiei's head and drag him back out?" Kuwabara looked aghast. 

"Get into his head? Like… zapping into his mind?" Yusuke sighed.

"Yeah, and I think the Jagan is your entrance." He patted his tall friend's back. "Good luck." There was no way Kuwabara could protest. He hesitantly stepped forward and put two fingers to Hiei's Jagan eye, and…

_WHOA! I'm in Hiei's head!_

*        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *          *        *        

BACK WITH HIEI

There were voices. Hiei could hear them. He stirred from his spiritual sleep, groggily looking around the dark voids of his mind.

_No… no more… no more darkness…_ He whimpered, holding his hands to his head. _Where's the light? Where is it?!_ Hiei hysterically shrieked, jumping up. The voices… they were getting louder. Hiei jumped as high as he could, vainly trying to reach the voices. WHERE WAS THE LIGHT?! Hiei clawed desperately at the darkness, grasping nothing but air. 

There was a loud voice.

_SHRIMP! WAKE UP! COME ON!! YOU'VE GOT TO WAKE UP!_ Hiei stared around him, his head jerking as the yell came from all sides. Where was it?! Where was it coming from?! And suddenly, the voices stopped. Hiei let out a sharp breath, screaming his protest. 

_NO! NO! DON'T LEAVE ME, COME BACK!_ He had snapped from the insanity. He knew it. There were no more voices, and Hiei was, once again, lost in silence. _No… no… don't leave… not yet… don't leave… don't… leave…_ And he collapsed, unconscious before he hit the ground.

*        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *          *        *        

BACK WITH KUWABARA

Kuwabara walked around, amazed at the vastness of Hiei's head. He glanced at the memories as he passed by, surprised at how much Hiei had seen in such a short time.* 

_So many memories…_ He murmured, staring at a fight that almost cost Hiei his life. _Doesn't he have any good ones? Not a single memory Kuwabara had seen held fun, playfulness, or even joy in it. In fact, it seemed every single thing Hiei had experienced had pain behind it, not allowing the fire demon to understand happiness, or even laughter. _

Suddenly, Kuwabara ran smack into a barrier. He looked up, shocked at how high and strong it was. 

_So, this is the reason he can't wake up. This is why he's trapped._ But a sly grin found its way onto his face… somehow. _Heh__.__ Nothing my good old Rei ken can't beat! Summoning the sword, Kuwabara ran and slashed it down the middle, breaking the two walls right in half. He wasn't ready for what he saw._

_AH! SHRIMP!_

*        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *          *        *        

BACK WITH HIEI

It was cold. No, it was beyond cold. Hiei could feel his blood freezing, feel it slowly stop moving in his veins. He curled up, trying to provide warmth, but all he was met with was the cold. He shivered horrendously, his lungs ready to freeze and snap off. But he couldn't care less. After snapping from the dark, Hiei had given up; he had long since lost the desire to live. He was ready to go to Hell, literally. Hiei breathed out, using one of the last breaths he had, when miraculously, he felt something. 

Hiei sat up from his position, welcoming the feeling with open arms. It felt so wonderful; it felt… warm… He stood up, staring with new hope in the direction where he felt it, and started to happily run towards it, but he was too weak. Hiei, instead, fell back, but didn't hit the floor. Rough hands told him who it was, and he didn't even try to fight. 

Instead, he muttered something so soft; the owner of the hands had to strain to hear it.

_Th_-thank you…__

*        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *          *        *        

WITH KUWABARA

Kuwabara stared, shocked at what Hiei had just said. 

_He-He THANKED me?! That ungrateful little shrimp THANKED me?! How horrible _was_ this place?!_ But he shook it off and returned them both to their bodies, with one last thought.

_He _THANKED_ me?!_

*        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *        *          *        *        

WITH YUSUKE

Yusuke paced around the crystal room, muttering to himself. _Damn, they HAD to be back now! How long did it take Kuwabara to get to Hiei?!_ Suddenly, with a start, Kuwabara flew awake. Yusuke, seeing his friend was okay, stared at Hiei. Nothing.

"I THOUGHT YOU PULLED HIM OUT!!" Kuwabara, who was watching the fire demon, too, let his mouth drop. 

"I DID! May-maybe he's just… having trouble moving… or… he could be asleep!" Yusuke cast a worried glance at Hiei's Jagan. It had not changed. But as Hiei slit his eyes open, just a millimeter, the Jagan returned to its normal shade.

"HIEI'S BACK!" Yusuke would've dogpiled him, had it not been for the fact his injuries still hadn't been tended to. Yusuke turned to Kuwabara. "We've GOT to get him back to the cave. We've GOT to." Kuwabara nodded, and gently picked up Hiei. As they walked out of the hut, however, he stirred.

"There it is…" He murmured. Yusuke stared with interest.

"There what is?" He asked.

"It… it's the light… there it is…" And with all of his last strength, Hiei pointed towards the cave.

Indeed, there was a light. Yusuke gasped as he finally realized what it was.

"KURAMA!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AN: There! Hiei's fine! Now, all we've got to worry about is Kurama! Anyhow, Merry Christmas, SilverKitsune568!

~Koganeiro Kitsune


	9. Recovery

Chapter 9: Recovery

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH.

OH! Last chapter, there was a: * after a statement, and I never put the explaination. Okay, Hiei _is_ pretty young for a demon. How I figured this out is because Koorime reproduce every 100 years, and Yukina has no children, therefore she must be younger than 100. And since Yukina and Hiei are twins (duh!) Hiei is as old as Yukina is. So, Hiei must be younger than 100, which, if you think about how old _Kurama is, it's pretty young.  _

~NORMAL POV~ 

"KURAMA!" Yusuke screamed, seeing the huge ki explosion. Leaving Kuwabara and Hiei behind, he rushed ahead to the cave, hoping, praying, to get there before Kurama's time ran out. Running over crevices with leaps and bounds, he reached the cave just as the explosion receded and it was safe to look in. 

"WHOA! HOLY CRAP!" Yusuke shouted as he laid eyes on the most massive flower he had ever seen. The leaves seemed to be made entirely of ice and diamond, twinkling as the weak sunlight filtered through in the enormous hole at the top of the cave. An enormous, bloody head-like bud armed with dagger sharp teeth sat atop a stem wider than a redwood tree trunk. It acted like it had a life of its own, rearing back and roaring, shaking its head while spraying flecks of blood around the cave.

Kurama was lying somewhere in the back of the cave, clearly unconscious. The wound on his chest had opened again, staining the messy bandages with a crimson red. Yusuke stupidly ran towards the fox, paying little attention to the plant. Suddenly, instinct rammed his shoulder against the cave wall as the plant (for lack of better words) bent down and snapped at the young detective. 

It kept snapping, and Yusuke kept dodging. Finally, seeing that the tactic wouldn't work, it reared up to its full height, baring its teeth. It took in a huge breath of air and…

"ARGH!" Yusuke screamed, dodging ice crystals that shot out of nowhere. He ducked and rolled, trying to get past the plant that was furiously protecting its master. He sprung off to one side as a barrage of ice shards came out of nowhere and sped towards him. He managed to dodge the initial attack, but the second wave of crystals just barely grazed his side. Yusuke panted slightly, doing a one-hand back flip to avoid being skewered. _Thank God Kurama has enough patience to teach me gymnastics_. 

Paying no heed to his injury, Yusuke continued his defensive maneuvering, doing a somersault here and a flip there. _Damn! It has no weakness! Think, Yusuke, think, every attack has a vulnerable point… The plant reared up again, and…_

"THERE!" Yusuke shouted, firing a heavy spirit gun blast. The Ice Shard Plant shrieked and writhed in place, shooting even more crystals out of the blossoming bud. 

Yusuke continued the assault, firing blast after blast until the plant was lost in icy dust. At last, he decided it was enough and let up, closely watching the dust settle. 

"KISAMA!" He cursed, seeing the plant emerge into view, completely unharmed. It wasn't until the dust had completely settled until Yusuke saw what had happened. The plant had grown icy spikes around the base of the bud, giving it a look like it was wearing a spike collar. And then, Yusuke finally noticed. "It-It's even bigger than it was before!" He shrieked, staring with shock at the Ice Shard Plant, which had indeed grown.

Jagged fangs protruded from its mouth, overlapping either the bottom or top jaw. Icy spikes stuck out from the diamond leaves, and when Yusuke thought about it, the head looked more like an overgrown hedgehog than a head-bud-thing. 

"DAMN! IT-IT'S FEEDING OFF MY ENERGY!" Yusuke stood there, shocked, and it was only adrenaline rush that shoved him out of danger. Yusuke was scared. Panting heavily, he began loading his spirit gun once more, but stopped halfway. _What good is it going to do, anyhow?_ He thought to himself. _If it keeps feeding off my energy, I'm only _helping_ it! _

"A-AAH!" Yusuke screamed, feeling a spike embed itself deep into his back. Yusuke turned around, only to see more of them coming his way. _Wha__-What happened?! He thought, dodging the spikes. But they only swerved and came back at him. __Are-ARE THEY TRACKING MY ENERGY?! Yusuke yanked the spike out of his back, wincing as he felt warm blood streaming down his back. But then, he got an idea. _So, you wanna track me? _A malicious grin appeared. _Fine, you can track me._ _

He ran. Not using his full speed, Yusuke ran just enough to keep a foot or two away from the spikes. Heading straight for the plant, he jumped onto the leaves, using each as a trampoline to bounce his way up to the head. The bud, sensing he was near its teeth, opened wide, ready to devour him.

"YOU WANNA EAT?! EAT THIS, SPIKE-HEAD!" Yusuke yelled, jumping just over the plant's head. And, with the mouth still open, the spikes shot straight through the head and into the cave wall. There, they quivered and eventually stood still.

The great plant swerved from side to side like it was drunk, roaring screams of pain. Yusuke took a spike and slashed it one more time, before it toppled. The spirit detective watched the ice flower fall with little interest, until he caught a flash of red beneath the falling plant.

"KURAMA!" he cried, rushing towards the fox, But sadly, he was too slow._ I-I'm not going to make it… Yusuke thought despairingly, and could only watch as the plant fell, sending a mighty tremor throughout the cave. _

Yusuke balled up his fists, continuing his sprint where the plant now lay. Using all his strength, he heaved the plant to the side, fear grown worse by its massive weight. There was nothing beneath it, just a small pool of crimson blood.

"K-Kurama?" Yusuke asked, utterly baffled. "Where'd you go?" 

"Hn, he's fine." Yusuke whirled around at the deep voice, to see Hiei hanging onto the wall with one hand and grabbing a fistful of Kurama's clothing with the other.

"Hiei! You're okay!" A glare, but a soft one, and then, both collapsed into blissful unconsciousness. (They seem to do that a lot ^^;)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AN: WHEW! EVERYONE'S OKAY!! YAAAY! Now only the conclusion and I'm done! MEEERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!!

~Koganeiro Kitsune


	10. Epilogue

Chapter 10: Epilogue

Disclaimer: I don't own. NON YAOI!!!!!!!!!!!!! Of course, there may be jokes on it, but still… you'll have to find out for yourself!

~NORMAL POV~ 

_It had been a week after the mission ended. The pipe had been destroyed in Kurama's ki blast, but Koemna decided it was for the better. Now, it was the twenty-fourth of December, and was a special Christmas gathering at Genkai's temple. This, is where our story picks up…_

"OWOWOWOW!!! THAT'S A CHEAP SHOT, CHEAP-O!!" Yusuke rubbed his scalp with one hand and used his other to make it into a fist and shake it at Kuwabara, who currently had a smirk on his face and held a small fistful of gelled, ebony black hair.

Kurama walked in from the kitchen, bandage free but powdered in flour. He frowned playfully at Yusuke, shaking his head. A bright blue apron with the words 'Kiss the Chef' stitched on it covered his clothing from the chest down, but that didn't mean his shoulders, head, and neck couldn't be doused in the stuff, and a white chef's hat stood atop his bright crimson mane in a crooked fashion. 

"Could you yell any louder, Yusuke? I don't think the aliens on the far side of Mars heard you." Yusuke replied with a scowl, then a laugh.

"Sure!" He took in a deep breath, and opened his mouth, but before any sound could come out, Kurama stuffed a roll in the spirit detective's mouth. 

"No thanks. I don't think my ears could handle that." He remarked dryly.

"DAMMIT! FOX! GET YOUR ASS BACK IN HERE!" Kurama sighed, and then blanched as an explosion came from the kitchen. Alarmed, he hurried back, groaning at what he saw.

"Aww… Hiei… I TOLD you not to put aluminum foil in the microwave!" Yusuke and Botan exchanged looks, then, as if acting as one, both slinked near the kitchen door, looking upon the scenario inside.

From the look of things, Hiei had apparently been trying to heat up… _something_ gooey and brown, and Yusuke's nose told him it was gravy, before the microwave exploded, sending the liquid flying all over. Hiei was covered in the stuff, and Kurama got more covered by the minute as it dripped from the ceilings onto his clothing. 

"Ugh…" Kurama muttered, tugging at his shirt. "Now I'll have to get this dry cleaned. Thanks, Hiei." 

"You're welcome." Kurama sighed, and grabbed a mop.

"I'll begin cleaning, you mix the cake batter." He muttered, cleaning up a small puddle. Hiei blinked, and on the look on his face, Kurama changed his mind. "Uh… how about _you_ clean and _I'll mix the cake batter?" Hiei nodded and grabbed the mop. Everything was peaceful for the next few minutes, until _it_ happened._

Hiei wrung the mop out one last time, putting it up as he did so. The floor was virtually spotless; the only place the gravy was on was the two demons. Kurama turned around after checking the oven one last time and smiled. He could already smell the delicious aroma of the chocolate cake baking. Closing his eyes and taking in the delicate smell, he sniffed carefully, but stopped when he felt Hiei's odd stare on him. 

"What?" Hiei shook his head in disgust.

"Stop doing that. You're not blind." Kurama had the faintest traces of a smile on his face.

"Yeah, but my nose is well trained enough to lead me as well as my eyesight." He said proudly. Hiei scoffed.

"Hn. Vain fox." Kurama pouted, and closed his eyes again, trying to make his way over to the refrigerator. 

He slipped on the gravy.

And knocked Hiei's legs out from under him (him refers to Hiei). 

This, as you can imagine, led to a VERY awkward position. [Think about it! Hiei and Kurama are covered in _some_ sort of gooey brown stuff, they're both on the floor and Hiei had SOMEHOW managed to land directly on top of Kurama] 

Yusuke walked in with his mouth open, stared at the scene before him, and walked back out.

Hiei noticed that the spirit detective's mouth was now closed. 

They finally noticed what was wrong.

"ERGH! HIEI GET OFFA ME!" Kurama shoved Hiei off him, scrambling up off the floor. Hiei just sat there with a dumbfounded look on his face.

"Huh?" Kurama shook his head.

"Ne-never mind." Hiei shrugged, before sticking his nose in the air.

"Mmm… it _does smell good." Kurama laughed._

"Hypocrite." He muttered, but broke into laughter again at the sight of Hiei drooling from the smell of the cake.

"Is it done yet?" The fire demon asked impatiently, peeking into the oven. Kurama rolled his eyes. Hiei was acting exactly like an impatient little kid, and, ironically, he looked like one too. 

"When it's done, the timer will go off." The fox said, pointing to the timer. Hiei stood guard by the oven, not letting his eyes off of it.

Kurama laughed.

~AFTER THE PARTY~ (Nothing really happens there) 

AT KURAMA'S HOUSE…

Bright red locks were manipulated through fine teeth as Kurama ran the comb through his silky, shiny hair. He yawned, putting the comb down as he did so. Glancing at the clock, he noticed it was nearly midnight. Stretching, he flopped onto his bed, pulling up the covers to his chin. He listened as the noise of urban Japan slowly died down as the night aged. And eventually, there was silence. It was quiet. Kurama smiled, eventually falling into a deep and peaceful sleep.

Kurama never even heard the sleigh bells. 

He was lost in his own quiet world.

Of calmness.

Of tranquility.

Of peace.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AN: This fic was dedicated to my wonderful friend: Silverkitsune09 (I won't give you her real identity) I hope everyone had a very special Christmas this year! Well, this is over with! MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE! MERRY CHRISTMAS! I know the sleigh bells idea was corny, but oh well…*sighs* I loved this… I am SO sorry it had to end…*cries* Oh well! Later! AND MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! 

~Koganeiro Kitsune


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